NASA reported successful experimental tests for its newest supersonic jet. The pilotless plane has outscored seven time the speed of sound. Photo by AFP.
An experimental X-43 pilot-less plane has broken the world speed record for an atmospheric engine. The new NASA-made jet was briefly flying at 7,700 km (4,780 miles) per hour - seven times the speed of sound. The hypersonic aircraft, a cross between a jet and a rocket, was dropped from the wing of a modified B-52 bomber, boosted by an auxiliary rocket to an altitude of nearly 30,000 m. It flew on its own power for 10 seconds. NASA says the prototype engine is destined to eventually power a new generation of space shuttles.